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Cameras, Lights, Action...

If you've been anywhere near our facebook page recently, you've probably seen all our new Holiday pictures. Yay!

It came about very suddenly, since Brynn's photographer Rod was moving, we had to make the appointment as soon as possible. He was leaving the Windy City and heading to the West Coast, sunny Southern California. Perfect timing for him!  However, Brynn being a favorite of his, he made the photo shoot happen (or maybe it could be the slight crush he has on our models).  Either way, he is a true professional!

Carla has been modeling for Brynn since 2007.  She always comes perfectly tanned, manicured and naturally beautiful.  Since Rod was finishing up another photo shoot, we got a chance to borrow his wonderful hair (Kelly Kristine T) and make-up artists (Michael Cartier Onsouvanh)!  I hope we get to use them on the next shoot too!

Since our Holiday collection is vintage inspired, we played up Carla's eyes with striking black liner and her lips were a deep red.  Her hair was teased with a long side curly ponytail.  Perfection!

Although we were under a MAJOR time crunch, the Photo Shoot came together, one step at a time!  Brynn recently had a shopping spree of dresses, that fit the girls perfectly! Although Kelly (the Design Intern) and I had never done a photo shoot before, we were quick on our feet and began organizing outfits with handbags, jewelry, shoes, etc.  And although everything was planned out, there was always last minute adjustments.


When it comes to finding ways to model the handbags, basic themes or poses, we refer to our "photo-shoot notebook." It's a book updated by the Design and Merchandising interns every semester.  Organized by size and themes.  It's full of inspiration from ads and editorials featured in InStyle, Lucky, Vogue, WWD and more. One idea that Kelly and I found perfect for the Holiday shoot was of a model holding a variety of bags stacked up in her arms. So we took the idea and made it our own by having Carla line up the Fall Cher Wristlets across her arm.  It Turned out GREAT!!

When it comes to styling the model during the photo shoot, it is good to be prepared, very timely and on your toes! You have to always be one step ahead, have outfits ready for the next shot, handbag in hand, lip gloss to freshen the lips, shoes and so on. 

In the photo above, Brynn and I are changing out jewelry for Carla. It is always little details that matter and at this moment different earrings was a must! Luckily, the dress I wore that day had two very convenient little front pockets that held all the earrings perfectly for a moment just like this one. And the Wyoming Yellow Lauren is on hand for the next shot...voila!

Par for the course, trying to get everyone set on one day, is always tough!  Angi and Veronica couldn't make it, so Brynn enlisted the help of one of her Starbucks regulars, Michelle. She just knew she would be a great addition!  We also for the first time did in-studio shots.  Nordstrom catalog here we come!

I feel both of them could be featured on America's Next Top Model. They may beg to differ, but either way they are amazing individuals with lots of spunk and personality.

Really?!?!?!

Don't get me wrong, I love Jimmy Choo and Celine like the rest of you...or should I say, I admire them from afar! But really?!?!?! Even at the sale price? And although there's probably a knock off somewhere out there, I would never do that.  I am a firm believer that if you can't afford the real thing don't try to fake it.

 

Makes my sale feel like a steal! Well it kinda is :)  Happy Shopping, only 1 1/2 days left for 30% off our current Fall Lexington Collection!

Fall colors

Just saw this today and wanted to share...

 

I get so excited when the colors I choose for the season, match the clothing from National Designers.  Makes me feel like I am doing something right! LOL

Shades of Berry!!!

According to Shopbop.com (a site in which I have a love/hate relationship with, I mean I love it, love the things they sell, most of the time, but can't afford the prices!), anyway one of the big 8 trends for fall 2011 is "Shades of Berry"...like fine wines!

Which made me think of my fall Winchester leather.  It's a beutiful wine color and as it seems perfect for the upcoming season.  I found this scarf on the site and fell in Love... with the color and texture but not the price!

Dreaming...

Whenever I see the new Crate and Barrel, Restoration Hardware or even the Ikea catalog, I get so jealous!  The rooms they set up in those are soooooo perfect, I want to go live in the store!

 

And then this one comes complete with a cute dog!

 One day right?!?!

Faux Fur Trend???

I am just not sure if I am liking this new "trend?" I kinda feel it still glamorizes "fur" even if it's fake.  I don't really mind the faux fur on the rim of jackets though.  Hmmmm.
What are your thoughts?

Lights, Camera, Strike a Pose!

Hey everyone!

Although our recent photo shoot was finalized last minute, the shots turned out great! (Thanks to Rod our wonderful photographer)

Everyone thinks a photo shoot is easy, but I am here to tell you it can be a little overwhelming and a bit crazy!

But I am proud to say, we definitely got some great shots of our Summer "Hey Sailor" Collection (finally!) and even though it's August, we also got some for our Fall "Lexington" Collection (available online shortly!)






All of the interns (Samantha, Emily and I) were there to help make the day run smoothly and of course shop for the outfits!  After trying to get all the office work done for the day, we headed out around 1pm to shop at various stores and pick out items that we think look great with the collection.  I think we did a great job!




Carla has been modeling Brynn's bags since the beginning and is the same size as Brynn, so we already ransacked Brynn's closet for some of her outfits. Rod had hired a model named Madison, so we mainly shopped for her and prayed that it all would fit perfectly.  It did! We were a bit jealous...

We took our suitcases and Ikea bags (they work great for lugging around our samples btw) and headed to Lincoln Park near the marina for our beachy, 70's bohemian, nautical feel images. In true model form, Madison had no problem switching outfits and making every shot work. Her wavy hair looked great with an over-sized floppy hat, big shades, maxi dress and Lauren crossbody.  We got tons of the shots with Madison, before Carla arrived, and we think she makes a nice addition to our everyday-girl models.

Carla's dark hair and dark complexion look ah-mazing with both our summer hues and our neutral fall color palette.  So we wanted to take advantage of Carla's beautiful skin tone, so we took a few more summer shots.

It was a fun day and it really gave me a chance to practice my styling abilities. When one outfit was being photographed the next one had to be prepared and ready, so I had to think fast about what would work together and what wouldn't.  From the shoes, the clothes, the jewelry and the bag, it all had to look great.

We were a little nervous about the fall shots because it was a beautiful bright summer day. But Rod was able to work his magic and make Fall come to life.

Although our Fall collection is equestrian inspired, we were able to stay in the same area but focused more on the grass, trees and nature in general. At one point, we even had an unwanted guest...a squirrel that kept trying to see what was in our suitcases! It made all the girls a little squirrley (pun intended), but Rod chased him away so we could get these great shots!

Our Lauren (left pic: shown in Champagne) is our biggest seller, so it also comes in 5 other colors...Saddle, Moss Creek, Winchester, Wyoming Yellow and of course Black Beauty. We think these colors are perfect for fall and year-round! 


But one of my new favorites is Brynn's re-design of her Samantha bag. She incorporated the double handle and size of the original with a smaller Lauren type body and crossbody strap...so far it's been a big seller with boutiques and we can't wait to see everyone's reactions!

These are just a few of my favorite shots...and a quick peak of what's to come! Until next time...

Fun In The Sun!

Last week we were a part of the 5th annual Chicago Sidewalk Sale at Daley Plaza. This event featured 39 Chicago designers and their products, ranging from handmade jewelry and hats to fun summer frocks. Some of our favorites are Jules, Kate Boggiano, Forme Milinery, Squasht by Les and many many more!

The event started early on Tuesday, or should I say extra early for Brynn and Elizabeth who had to arrive for a 6am set up because they were being featured on WGN Around Town with Ana! We were so excited to be one of seven chosen for this opportunity. Here's some of the footage from that morning...thanks to Ana at WGN for highlighting our "In the Navy" Lauren Crossbody bag with a great Michelle Tan outfit (model #4).


We were also offering some great deals and the women were going crazy over them! From our "Buy One Get One Free" fabric Cher wristlets to the Last Chance Allison Hobos at 50% off!

The event went very well, with lots of foot traffic to keep us very busy. Although it was a scorcher, we took turns dipping our feet in the fountain to cool off or getting Starbucks to refresh...the passion tea lemonade...yum!

As the design intern, I enjoyed talking to the shoppers about Brynn's product, highlighting the unique and beautiful attributes in each bag. So much detail goes into the handbag, (and as the design intern I get to have hands on with all of it), I can't help but share my excitement!

Overall, it was a great event, the Brynn Capella team had such a blast and we sold some great items. I mean come on, Chicago, summertime, Brynn Capella, what a great combo!

Behind the Scenes: Taste and Trend Event

Hello everyone! It's Elizabeth here to tell you all about the classy and fun event we participated in last night. The Taste and Trend event was held at the W Hotel on Lakeshore and was hosted by our friends at Left of Trend. Brynn and I packed up the red suitcase with the bags we wanted to showcase and headed over to set up. Once we got there, Jason and Jim from LOT were so helpful and we got everything unpacked pretty quick. Before we were even done getting organized we sold a Cher wristlet! The customer kept saying "I have to have this!" We agreed : )
Once we were all set up we were able to make friends with our neighbors BucketFeet and Whether Bags. We'll be next to BucketFeet at the Daley Plaza Sidewalk Sale next week so it was awesome to meet them and the Whether Bags were amazing! Eco-friendly and so cute. All of the designers, including our company, were offering a 30% discount on all products. There were also free drinks at the bar (according to Brynn they were ah-mazing!) and appetizers from the Wave restaurant in the hotel (we got seconds).
Overall the event went really well. We got a lot of interest in the bags and met great people. There were two women we talked to who both bought bags, and they were able to tell us about some boutiques that they thought we would work perfectly in. Of course, I am always on the lookout for boutiques for Brynn's bags so I had my pen and paper ready. It was great to get some input and advice from a customer. It really shows how much women love Brynn's bags and how much they can connect with Brynn and the company. We also sold one of our new Zee Satchels which we were very excited about! We love that people are wearing them out in the city and gaining interest. We adore the bag and firmly believe that everyone else should too ; ).
The event got me pumped for the Daley Plaza Sidewalk Sale event happening next week on the 19th and 20th from 9-3PM. I can't wait to meet more of our awesome customers and promote Brynn's beautiful bags.
Until next time...

These Espadrilles Rock!

Looking for the perfect summer shoes to wear with the perfect summer bag? We ran across these fabulous Tory Burch's red, white and blue stripped espadrilles and had to share this great find with you.

How cute would these look with your favorite pair of skinny jeans or white capris... add a summery blouse and of course a french pedicure to complete the look.  Or simply pair with a solid or even printed summer dress for a perfect care-free look.

You can buy these at Nordstrom, maybe Nordstrom Rack (shhh), and myteresa.com but they're going fast. Tory Burch also has a similar style espadrille in a blue and white stripe style, which can be found at shopstyle.com and myteresa.com.

To complete the cutest summer ensemble, any handbag in our "Hey Sailor" Collection would go oh so well with these shoes, especially our new Zee bag.   The added good news is the entire collection is now 30% off from tomorrow until the 4th of July...hello! Get your list started today!

P.S. Be on the lookout for new markdowns on other bags as well!

Behind the Scenes: Boutique Research

Hey everyone! This is Elizabeth, Brynn's new Merchandising Assistant. I'm originally from Flint, MI but I'm spending the summer in Chicago for the internship and loving every minute of it.  I've only been working with Brynn for about a month, and I have already learned so much.

One of the many jobs that I have as a Merchandising Assistant is finding new boutiques throughout the US that Brynn's product would fit well in. Although we love shipping all over the country via our relationship with eBags.com, we are excited about getting into the thousands of boutiques across the country. So I look very carefully for the ones that would be best. 

We value our products highly, and we want to make sure that they are in the right place. When researching boutiques, I use a variety of different resources such as Yelp, MetroMix and our very own Chicago Fashion Resource.

Sometimes I look for specific types of boutiques such as gift, accessory, or shoes or I'll just do a general search for women's boutiques. The type of store that works well for our company is the gift boutique, because women are in the store buying items for their children or gifts for friends, and then they come across a great bag for themselves.

We are in a gift boutique here in Chicago called Fixture, and we sell very well there. Patti, the owner, has become a great friend and we love doing trunk shows there. Spare Parts in Lakeview started carrying the line last Fall and simply loves it! Vanessa couldn't believe she hasn't been carrying the line longer.

Cerato on Southport is a great location and garners lots of publicity for us, which of course we greatly appreciate!  It's an apparel boutique that carries several other Chicago Designers, such as Lara Miller, Kate Boggiano and Kristin Hassan.

We were excited to add Arm Candy in Santa Monica, CA to our list last year and Boutique 610 in Arizona (boutique pic shown above) has been with us since 2009.

Finding boutiques online can take hours because there are just so many of them, but it is a crucial process. Once I have a list of stores, I call them to obtain their buyer information and to tell them a little bit about the company. I then email the buyer with the line sheets and a more detailed description of Brynn Capella, Inc.

Once we get some interest and if it's possible, we visit the buyer in person with some of our products. We pack everything up in our trusty big red suitcase and roll it all around the city. It's always so much fun to see the buyer's reactions to the bags and their process for choosing it for their store. They are always very impressed with the design, the functionality, and of course the leather.

For the future of our company, we are looking to get our products into more cities across the country.

We are currently looking at where most of our sales are coming from because we would love to offer a boutique location to where our customers are. For our Fall Lexington Collection, we feel that Brooklyn, NY and San Francisco, CA would be perfect, but we definitely aren't limited to those locations. We just recently got back into Hazel in Chicago. Our products used to be in the store in 2008, and now they just ordered some of the new summer "Hey Sailor" collection! We're so glad to have another boutique to add to our list. Want to help us find our next favorite store?

We love to hear from our customers...
SO...
Where do you think our bags would fit best? Are there any amazing boutiques near you that we should know about? Post a comment with the boutiques you have in mind and we'll be sure to check them out ASAP.

So excited to hear your ideas! Until next time...
Elizabeth

Holiday 2011 beginnings

I'm Emily, the summer design intern. I'm excited to take you behind the scenes on design related projects all summer long...from picking out fabrics and leathers to deciding on styles and sizes!

Holiday is my first collection to assist with, from ordering leather swatches to deciding on final styles to researching handbag chains. For the collection, we've selected to use a kelly green, bronze, and antique blue leather. After spending a semester abroad learning about handbag design and making my very first one, I was REALLY excited to be a part of a new "style" addition to the collection, called the "Sophie" Crossbody. I assisted Brynn with the design of "Sophie," configuring sizing, appropriate fabrics and researching the perfect chain. Going through the design process for Holiday from the beginning to starting the sample process has been such a great learning experience for me. Seeing how everything comes together to form a lovely collection of harmonizing leathers and fabrics to styles is amazing.

I will keep you posted with more as the holiday collection comes to life!

Now onto Spring...OMG!

Cast Your Vote Now!

Happy St. Patrick's Day !

Whether your searching for your pot of gold today or just savoring the one day a year where it is perfectly acceptable to wear head to toe green... Everyone at Brynn Capella wishes you a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Splurge on some green accessories today, and may the luck of the Irish be with you!